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Pear Raspberry Pistachio Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing is a chopped salad filled with crispy greens, crunchy pistachios, and sweet-tart fruit, all tossed in the most amazing quick and light dressing. This salad is an instant favorite at first bite!
I have used this easy and delicious homemade poppyseed dressing in Cranberry Apple Pecan Salad and Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad as well, so it is no secret that it is a personal favorite! It is creamy, tangy, and sweet all rolled up into one and is the perfect dressing.
Pear Raspberry Pistachio Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
Pistachios in a salad. Why have I not done this before? I am obsessed with Pistachios. One year at Christmas, my dad wrapped me a present under the tree and can you guess what it was? A giant bag of pistachios from Costco. That was the best Christmas ever. I am pretty sure that is one of the reasons that we have a membership to Costco now. 😉
I wanted to put together a delicious salad with the ingredients that I already had on hand. Being that I have been eating clean for 30 days now, my house is filled with fruit. I wanted to put pear and raspberry together in a salad. I love fruit in a salad because you are getting the best of both worlds. Your greens and your veggies! And best of all you are not sacrificing your taste buds at the altar of healthy eating. This is a recipe you will love and crave!
What is in Pear Raspberry Pistachio Salad?
So many amazing flavor combinations here, like the pears and raspberries, which went together perfectly. But my favorite part was the crunch of the pistachios throughout! They gave it such a unique and yummy flavor. If you love pistachios and want a great salad full of flavor, then this salad is just for you!
- Romaine: Wash your lettuce thoroughly then roughly chop. (more details below)
- Raspberries: Sweet and tart vibrant flavor
- Pears: You do not need to peel the pair before using. Thinly slice or dice before adding in.
- Pistachios: Salted and shelled pistachios give great crunch and salty flavor.
- Feta cheese: Crumbled cheese gives tangy, salty, and creamy bites of delicious flavor.
Homemade Creamy Poppyseed Dressing:
This dressing is so easy to make at home you will never again buy it from the store! Making it from scratch allows you to adapt it to perfectly fit your family’s needs. Use low fat mayonnaise, skim milk or a sugar substitutes as needed. Also adjust the amount of poppyseeds or the vinegar to sugar ratio to your taste!
- Mayonnaise: I like to use one that is made with olive or avocado oil.
- Milk: I used 2% milk in mine.
- Sugar: Adds a bit of sweetness. Use stevia or honey if you are looking for a sugar substitute.
- Cider vinegar: Cuts the sweetness with its tart flavor.
- Poppy seeds: Nutty flavor healthy, and add visual interest.
Let’s Toss a Salad!
A delicious and healthy salad filled with raspberries, pears, and the salty flavor and crunch of pistachios has never been easier to make at home! I like to make this dressing and store it in a large mason jar in the refrigerator until I am ready to use it. Then I just give it a good shake before pouring it on!
- Whisk: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, milk, sugar, cider vinegar, and poppyseeds. Set aside.
- Toss: In a large bowl add tossed romaine, raspberries, pears, pistachios, and feta cheese. Add the poppyseed dressing and carefully toss to coat all of the ingredients.
- Serve: Freshly tossed salad is best when served immediately.
How to Properly Clean Fresh Produce:
Fresh lettuce and other produce need to be properly cleaned before you eat them. In fact, washing your fruits and vegetables is vital to removing dirt and debris as well as any bacteria on the produce. Here are my suggestions for keeping your healthy salad healthy by ensuring it is free from dirt and germs.
- Make Vinegar Wash: Use 3 parts cool water and 1 part vinegar to make a produce cleaning solution.
- Apply Solution to produce: When applying on smooth produce such as a pear, you can spray it on (just put the solution in a spray bottle), then rub it all over the produce with your hands. If washing rough produce such as lettuce or berries, you will want to let them soak in the solution. So, fill your sink or a large bowl with the solution and place the produce in.
- Swish: Move fruits and vegetables around in the vinegar solution to loosen dirt and debris. Don’t forget to separate individual leaves when washing lettuce. I also recommend using a vegetable scrub brush.
- Allow the solution to sit: The solution needs to work for a minimum of 60 seconds, but some recommend up to 20 minutes to properly clean the produce. The debris will sink to the bottom and the clean greens/veggies will float to the top.
- Rinse: Rinse clean with cool water.
Storing Poppyseed Dressing:
This made from scratch dressing will store well when kept in an airtight container (I used a large mason jar) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Shake well before using. I do not recommend freezing. The creamy dressing will separate and may not be able to be whipped back together.
More Refreshing Salad Recipes:
- Strawberry Apple and Pear Spinach Salad
- Tripe Berry Chicken Avocado Salad with Creamy Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
- Berry Avocado Salad with Creamy Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing
- Candied Walnut and Pear Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
- Grilled Chicken Bacon and Pear Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
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Pear, Raspberry and Pistachio Salad with a Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine chopped
- 1 cup raspberries
- 2 pears thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pistachios shelled
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
Creamy Poppyseed Dressing:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Instructions
To make the dressing:
- Whisk together in a small bowl mayonnaise, milk, sugar, cider vinegar, and poppyseeds. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add tossed romaine, raspberries, pears, pistachios, and feta cheese. Toss the salad. Add the poppyseed dressing and carefully toss to coat all of the ingredients. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sorry about previous comment typo. I doubled the Romaine lettuce amount in my version. Fantastic results!
So easy to make and so good! Great summer salad or any time of the year. Saved for salad dressing recipe. I used 4 cups of Romain and less dressing though. Thank you!
I made this for Christmas and it was perfect! With the colors it just added to the festiveness. The flavor was amazing. The poppyseed dressing was so good! I will make that again even if I’m not making the salad. It was just the right touch to go along with our meal. 🙂
I loved the flavours in this recipe. Definately one to make and serve immediately though. I made this a couple of hours before serving and only added dressing just before. I found it wilted quite quickly. Other than that, it was a hit.
I love your story behind the pistachios, because the opposite happens every Christmas in my house – We wrap up a huge bag for my DAD! He is totally obsessed!
The salad looks phenomenal too : ) I am definitely going to try this combination!
I already posted a comment above.
The salad was delightful! We had guests over and everyone not only enjoyed it but wanted the recipe. I felt the same way. That’s why I decided to make this wonderful salad in the first place!
My dad loves nuts, and I still remember when he tried to teach my how to eat pistachios. He handed me one and demonstrated how to crack it open, but I tried and tried and couldn’t get the shell off! So after about 5 minutes (yes, I struggled that long), I handed it over to my dad… And even he couldn’t get it open. Whoops! But anyway, I love this salad! That dressing is totally calling my name too. Pinned!
Looks like a pretty spectacular combination to me! 🙂
Fruit, nuts and cheese in a salad make it worth eating! We buy that big bag of pistachios also, at Costco…so far I have resisted the giant jar of jelly beans! Pinning this 🙂
Love all the colors in this — so vibrant!! The perfect pick-me-up salad for these blustery days.
Well, we are big pistachios eaters here. Except we get both father’s in law huuuuggs bags of pistachios for Christmas (you know with a sweater or something) and it’s a hit every year. Great salad though. Raspberries and poppy seeds are big around here too.